Creighton expert on Middle East expect bin Laden's death will weaken Al-Qaeda

Terror leader Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday by U.S. forces in Pakistan.

By Katie Knapp Schubert

Omaha, NE – A Creighton University expert on the Middle East says Osama bin Laden's death probably won't have much effect on that region.

John Calvert is an associate professor of History. Calvert says news of bin Laden's death was a surprise, because the terror leader and Al-Qaeda had been "out of sight and out of mind."

He says while Al-Qaeda may grow weaker without its symbolic leader, new terror attacks are a real concern as Al-Qaeda loyalists show they're still present. But Calvert believes the group's violent actions and ideology have cost Al-Qaeda support in the Middle East. He says Al-Qaeda has three sects: a centralized region, a concentration in north Africa, and so-called "free floaters."

He expects the push for democracy in Arab countries, known as the so-called "Arab Spring," to continue.

Bin Laden was killed at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan by Navy SEALs.